Fuse



Maxell: 12, 1946. R. G. BUTLER. JR.. ETAL 2,396,245

FUSE

Filed Aug. 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IWW/wm Rn ERT E Ei L11-LER ,Jl-R1., JUHNWMUSEMAMJR.,

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R. G. BUTLER. JR., ETAL FUSE Filed Aug. 28. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 u Q vm mb mm, m.

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HUBERT E EJ uTLER ,1:I'R., -JDHN MDSEMAN, R.,

Patented Mar. 12, 1946 FUSE Robert G; Butler, Jr., Middleboro, Mass., and John W. Moseman, Jr., Bethesda, Md.

Application August 28, 1944, Serial No. 551,591

3 Claims. Y (CL HL2-81.2)

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

Our invention relates to improvements in fuses, being particularly adapted for use in connection with bombs used against submarines, and its general object is to provide a device of this character which will not cause detonation or explosion upon impact with the surface of water, but which will cause such detonation or explosion upon impact with a solid object, irrespective of the angle at which such object is struck.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device of this character which is self-arming, which may be locked in both the unarmed and armed positions, and in which a vane is provided to move the device from the unarmed to the armed position when the vane is exposed to an air or water stream after the bomb is launched.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a device of this character in which impact of the striker members with an object or upon force being applied to the protruding ends of the striker members when the device is in unarmed position, will not only fail to cause detonation or explosion, but which will prevent damage to the striker members and associated parts as Well, and in which the striker members will automatically return to proper unarmed position when the impact force has ceased.

With these and other objects in View, as will hereinafter more fully appear and which will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of our improved fuse, illustrating the unarmed position of same;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of our improved fuse, illustrating the armed position of same;

Figure 4 is anend elevational view, illustrating vthe front end of the fuse;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, illustrating the mechanism for locking the rotor in armed position;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line E-B of Fig. 5;

Figure 'l is a front elevational view of the rotor;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary, transverse sectional view, taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. l; and

Figure 9 isa detailed perspective view illustrating the rotor lock.

Referring now to the drawings in which similar reference characters represent similar parts, our invention comprises an annular body, the nose section 2 of which is threadedly secured to rear section 4, as shown atb. These. body portions may be of any suitable metal orV material, as `may the parts hereinafter referred to. The rearsection 4 of the body is provided with a reduced threaded portion 8, to which a bomb (not shown) is adapted to be secured, and with a further reduced threaded portion I0, to-which is secured an annular cup shaped booster charge casing l2, provided with a liner I4 and containing a booster charge of any suitable explosive I6.

The nose section 2 of the body is provided with an annular gasket I8 of rubber or any other suitable or desired fabric, composition, or material adapted to serve as a base upon which the ilared rim of` metallic cup-shaped member 20 rests.

VThe cup-shaped member 20 is adapted to cover andprotect the striker members and vane hereinafter described, and is securely held in place by the annular metallic clamp 22,-the ends of which, 24, are turned up, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and are held together in clamped relation by a bolt 26, provided with circular openings 28, adapted to receive arming Wire 30. An annular metallic spring member 32 is positioned on the inside surface of clamp 22, adapted to force the ends 24 of clamp 22 apart when the arming Wire 30 is removed from bolt 25, thereby releasing the cup-shaped member 2B, which is forced outwardly under the action of coil spring 34, and falls away clear of the nose section when the bomb is launched, carrying with it bolt 36. Coiled spring 34 is maintained in position around bolt 36, one end of which is suitably secured by riveting or otherwise to cup-shaped member 20, the other end comprising a spindle 38, adapted to be positioned in a circular recess 40 in the nose section 2. spaced equidistantly about the nose section 2 are four angularly inclined openings 42, threaded at their outer ends as shown at 44,' and adapted to receive threaded'plugs 46. Plugs 46 are provided with circular openings, through which striker members 48 are slidably positioned. Striker members 48 are normally maintained in extended position, as shown in Figs. l and 3, under action of coil springs 50, one end of these springs acting on iianges 52 of striker members 48, while the other ends act on annular shoulders 54, formed purpose of which will be hereafter describedf The inclined face 68 of the rotor is provided with four circular recesses, 66, adapted to receivethe striker members, should these members be struckf when in unarmed position, thereby preventin v damage to the striker members and associated parts, as well as preventing detonation orzexplo'-v I sion of the bomb. The inclined faceV 68 ofrotor 88' is also provided with circular openings 68,-

aligned with striker members 48 when in armed position, as shown in Fig. 3. The front end of these openings 68 are adapted to receive primer detonators T8, while the other ends of the openings converge to a single opening, as shown at 12, Fig. 3. Mounted intermediate the rotor 58 and the booster charge I 6, is an annular 'member w14, heldin position by means of screws 1-6. Member 14 is provided with a circular'opening 18, in

-y alignment with opening 'I2 ofy the rotor, when in armed position. The front end of opening 'I8 is explained;Y 5

adapted to receive a detonator 88, while the opposite end of the opening is provided with a lead cupr82, crimped or otherwise suitably secured in the opening, containing` tetryl or the like.

Positioned in a recess 8210i rotor 58, is a torsion spring 84,V one end of which, 86, Yis secured to the rotor, while theotherf end, 88, is positioned in a recess in member '14. The action of this spring rotatesthe rotor from unarmed to armed position, when ,theA rotor is unlocked, as will be hereinafter The rotor locking and arming mechanism comi prises a lock, shown generally at 88, slidably positioned in recess 92 of the nose portion 2 of the AbOdy, and ,comprises a-base 94, and an arm 96 ,extending at right angles therefrom. Arm 96 is adapted to engage recess 62 of the rotor and mainb-tain same in unarmedposition. The base portion,

.184,Lof the lock is provided with a circular opening 19,5 through which bolt 98 is positioned. The intern:mediate portion of bolt`88 is threaded, as at |88, and adapted'to engage a similar threaded portion ,y of` circular-opening |82 vin the nose portion 2 of the; body. The protruding end of bolt 88 has a vaneA I84xedly mounted thereon, held in place f. by a smaller bolt or screw |86.

The body. portion 4 is provided with a circular .f opening |63, adapted to receive a threaded bolt z I8, Vwhich serves to compress coiled spring II2 between bolt H8 and plunger H4. TheV rounded 'zend vl |6 Vof plunger H4 is adapted to ride in a i shallowrecess H8 in the outside surface of rotor I vented.

Y96 ofY the lock, which prevents further rotation. -When the rotor reaches this point, which is the armed position, plunger H4 is forced into engagement with circular opening I 28, and the rotor is locked fag'ainst further rotation.

While wefhave illustrated and described the invention in some detail, it is to be understood that the* invention is not to be limited to such details, but only by the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

,'-We claim:

1. A fuse of the character described, comprising a body, a striker membermovably positioned in and projecting from Ysaid body, afrotor positioned in said body, a recess in-,said rotor, a threaded opening in vsaid body in axialalignment with said recess, a lock slidably engaging said recess, a bolt swiveled atone of its ends to said lock, a vane xedly secured to the other end of said bolt and adapted to rotate said bolt upon exposure to an impelling stream, said bolt having a threaded intermediate portion engaging said threaded opening, means for preventing rotation of said lock, whereby upon rotationv of said bolt said lock will move out of engagement with said recess, means for rotating said rotor and stop means carried by said lock for engaging said rotor, whereby further rotation of said rotor is pre- 2. In a fuse of the character described, a body, a threaded opening in said body, a rotor having a recess and an adjacent oppositely disposed stop member positioned in said body, a bolt having a threaded intermediate portion engaging said threaded opening, an impeller afXed to one end of said bolt and adapted to rotate same, a lock swiveled to the other end of said bolt and Yengaging said recess, whereby upon rotation of said v `bolt said lock will slidably ldisengage fromV said recess, means for rotating the .rotor after said prevented.

:58,and'-when the rotor reaches the armedY posi- ...tion the plunger;engages a circular opening |28 vin the rotor, whereby the rotor is securely locked inarm'ed position against further rotation.

' In operation, .when it is desired to launch the bomb, from an airplane for example, the arming -wire 38 isy withdrawn, and the spring 32 spreads clamp'ZZ, which loosens cup 28.l Cup 28, isforced 'f utwardlyV away from thefnose of the fuse under action of coiled'spring 34, and falls clear of the Sbomb, vcarrying with it bolt 36. When the bomb is launched, vane |84, normally held against rota- .tion by bolt 36,' is exposed to air or water stream 3. A fuse of the character described comprising frontY and rear body portions, a rotor concentrically interposed between said portions andvprovided with a plurality of detonator primers arranged obliquely to the axis of said rotor and passages from each primer to a booster charge,

means carried by the front body portion. fo'r normally locking therotor'against rotation, a vane having operable connections with the rotor locking means toV release .the. rotor during iiight,

means for rotating the'rotor when released, a

...plurality of spring-backed strikers, onefor each primer movably mounted in said front portion in line with said obliquely arranged detonator primers, said strikers having portions extending through and beyond said'front portion for direct contact with a target upon impact.

. ROBERT G. BUTLER, JR. JOHN W. MO-SEMAN,v JR. 

